Open Letter of Conditional Surrender in the War on Terror

On behalf of all people under the dominion of aggressor states who believe in the principle of reciprocity, non-aggression, the Golden Rule, justice and mercy, we hereby announce this conditional surrender. We surrender all our state officials, politicians, and bureaucrats who pushed for this war, who caused the massive slaughter of thousands or millions of innocent lives and trivialized the crime with the term 'collateral damage.' We surrender all of the lobbyists who pushed for war. We surrender our military officials and personnel who actively participated in this war. We surrender our military-industrial complex, their officials and profiteers. We surrender all the media pundits who negligently used falsified information to rally dupes and knaves among the people to vengeful injustice. Most of all, we surrender the religious leaders who pretended to justify this war and demanded we surrender our individual duty to determine good or evil in war to the war chiefs of Empire. You have complained that the aggressor states treat innocent civilians worse than dogs. This is unfortunately more true and despicable than anyone realizes. The invading military in Iraq pays only $2,500 to the relatives of the dead victims that even it acknowledges as innocent. (And obviously nothing to those who fight for their freedom.) In many cities of the Empire, the punishment for mistreating a dog can be $5,000. This hatred for innocent human life is no accident, but a way the aggressors intentionally tempt the surviving victims to become an enemy, so that they will have more excuses to kill. The moral remnant within the aggressor states mourn in sympathy for the slaughtered peoples who pray for peace. We do what little can be done in this era of World Empire. Nevertheless, the internal opponents cannot destroy the Empire. Instead, its own leaders are destroying it by the very actions they presume will preserve it from its clearly foreseeable collapse. From their ivory towers, they will not even listen to their own wise men who warn them of the folly of this attempt to enslave every corner of the earth. Just as Babylon , Rome , Spain , and others before it, this Empire will fall by its own sword on the fool's errand of seeking world peace by world conquest. It hastens its own end by the blindness of its militaristic pride. Until a few years ago, it was said, "Who is like the Beast? Who can make war against him?" But now the armor has cracked. The only major questions are when will it fall and who survive its dying vengeful acts? This surrender is conditional, because the innocent opponents of empire have committed no crime and merit no punishment, and retain the right to self defense and self determination. Although you have the right to punish the guilty, do not repeat the crime of the Empire and rationalize collateral damage against innocents. The hunting down of German National Socialists after 1945 on an individual level provides an appropriate example of how you have the right to deal with the criminal supporters of the Empire. We, the moral remnant, make this surrender at this time before the Empire has collapsed so that you will recognize us as non-collaborators with the Empire, knowing this may bring persecution on us. After the collapse, you may have power like the Empire does today. We hope by addressing you now, you will remain humble and not become corrupted by power, as every Empire always has. If the culture that becomes dominant after the collapse of the Empire is Islamic, we request the protection of freedom of religion as granted in the Koran. We know that the Islamic nations are also not free, and this is because they are organized as nation-states instead of voluntary societies. Just as Samuel recorded of Israel in the Tanakh, Islamic nations have the curse of a centralized state that deprives the people of justice and property. The Islamic Courts of Somalia present an alternative possibility of freedom that we hope you notice, and can be emulated by all after the collapse of the Empire. The moral remnant will try as well when our survivors escape the yoke of Empire. Every person has the right of self determination and individual sovereignty. In practical freedom, this means some rights are conditionally surrendered to join intentional communities. However, no rights are surrendered in the formation of nation-states or Empire. These just imagine and enforce a mythological claim through force, duress, and compulsion whether based on divine right on non-consensual democracy. Every nation-state in existence today already has this root evil of Empire, and would become one given the opportunity. Within the Empire, the people have nearly lost the concept of intentional communities (which is the only possible foundation for voluntary societies) through distorted economic incentives, regulations, taxations, and subsidies. The nation-states have foolishly looked at the tribal societies as barbaric instead of seeing Empire as the darkest of barbarisms. After the Empire collapses, give us time to form intentional communities. If you think some act most offensive but harms no one's rights, then make it a law within your own intentional communities, but do not try to enforce it on those not within those borders. Going beyond this creates an unjust hegemonic relation, evil and prideful in itself and leading toward the permanent paracitism of Empire. Instead, voluntary communities compete for members by what they offer to members who may withdraw their person and property if unhappy. Those without physical power are more likely to listen to reason instead. Reason is the most powerful and consistent voice against Empire. No Empire has ever listened to it, preferring brute force as a cultural foundation. But once power switches hands, those with power are always tempted to redefine their own reasoned morals out of existence to justify forced socialization. Morality is always self-imposed restraint of power, and this is why it can be a virtue. Its evil antithesis is militaristic pride and glory. We oppose all pretensions of militarism and encourage everyone to restrain power with justice and mercy. May we both live in peace mutually free of those who seek our deaths because, unlike believers in Empire, as much as it depends on libertarians, we live at peace with all.

This open letter may be freely translated into any language, and once translated, may be freely distributed in any form or forum.

Lysander's Ghost has degrees in math and economics, a wife, and five kids. Besides agorist free-market anarchism, he promotes a Weston Price Foundation approach to nutrition and health, plays guitar, and loves progressive rock/metal. A long term goal is to finish a SF book in the style of Heinlein. You can visit his blog here.